Quick rundown--a little over 5 years ago I had my first baby. My armpit got huge. Swollen and huge. If I rubbed it it would go down but never went away. She only nursed for 6m but I still had the swollen armpit. Almost 2 years ago I had my boy, once again HUGE swollen armpit. I rubbed and massaged and pushed on it hard and it went down but never back to normal. He stopped nursing around 16m. I'm still pregnant with the 3rd baby and my armpit is still huge! I am ok with it but it makes me very self conscious to wear tank tops or anything that you can see my underarms in. Is there a way to make it go down permanently? Have any of you had this happen? I also noticed in my other armpit (just last week) that I had a hard small lump, is that just a gland or what?

Also, when I say that my armpit is big, I mean it. I look like one of those Barbie armpits that is round and sticks out. It's horribly embarrassing.

Have you asked your doctor? Sounds like a swollen gland but if it that large and makes you feel uncomfortable I would ask the dr. Does it hurt or just look odd? I just had my 3rd too- congrats on your newest LO

The one doc I spoke to about it sent me in for ultrasounds and a ton of other stuff. I know it has to be milk related because it started when my milk came in the first time. It occasionally hurts but not typically. I'm not a huge fan of having doctors poking and prodding and 134 appts in 2 weeks so I stopped going once they said the u/s looked good. It looks funny and that's really the only thing that bothers me. When I am bfing and rub it more milk does come out...I did it when I was pumping one time and I let down probably 2-3 ounces more than normal out of that one side. It's weird! Lol

I have a milk gland in my arm pit.. That was always my first indication when DS was really young that I was approaching engorgement - my armpit would start hurting. Haha.

I asked my LC about it and she said to keep constant, warm pressure on it while nursing or pumping to help it go down. It did, and after doing that for several weeks I want to say it went away almost entirely (if I'm remembering correctly). It sounds like yours is a bit more determined than mine, though, so I'm not sure if the same method would work - or work as well - for you. It never really bothered me again as long as I didn't go long periods without nursing or pumping. I would ask your LC to see if she has any different advice.

A lot of women have breast tissue all the way up into our armpits. That includes milk ducts. To my knowledge the only way to get it to really go away is removal of those ducts, which would require surgery. I'd work on keeping that area compressed, especially while nursing. Im not sure if you can dry up those ducts completely while nursing (I doubt it actually), but massaging and keeping them compressed should limit the swelling some. Sorry momma.

Thanks for the tips!! I do have a local cd'er who is also a lc so I'm going to talk with her about it I will keep massaging and warm compressing while nursing to see if it helps...of course, once baby gets here (if that ever happens)